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Teaching Centre
Academic Registry
Audit of placement modules:
current practice at Loughborough University
Caroline Smith
Quality Enhancement Officer (Science & Engineering)
Rob Pearson
Senior Assistant Registrar
December 2010
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Background
This work was undertaken at the request of the Placement Working Group in
December 2010.
A substantial (45 week) placement and the associated award of Diploma in
Industrial Studies, Diploma in Professional Studies, or Diploma in International
Studies, is a prominent feature of many of Loughborough’s programmes.
Placements offer students personal development opportunities plus valuable
experience of the workplace and are recognised by staff, students and potential
employers as providing a “value added” factor to a student’s academic experience.
Placements also allow Loughborough to maintain and grow its links with industry
regionally, nationally and internationally.
Despite the benefits of placements, there is some variation in the availability of
placements across the institution. There is also some variation in the way in which
the placement is administered by individual departments/schools.
This work therefore serves to bring current information about placement modules
together in order to draw comparisons and highlight differences in
departmental/school practice. As such, the work forms the first stage of a wider
discussion about placements.
Project Aim
To review existing module information for standard 45 week placement modules in
a critical manner with particular reference to the stated aims, learning outcomes,
and assessment.
Project Objectives
Specifically, placement module specifications were reviewed in order to:



identify the extent to which commonalities exist with the stated aims,
intended learning outcomes and assessment
determine the viability of a generic framework for a 45 week placement
module
develop a generic framework for the provision of a 45 week placement
module if indicated
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Method
An initial trawl of CIS revealed 33 “placement” modules across the University. Only
those modules which appeared to meet the criteria described in Regulation XI*
were considered ie:



of 45 weeks during (or equivalent)
leading to the award of Diploma in Industrial Studies, Diploma in
Professional Studies, or Diploma in International Studies
having a notional module weight of 120 credits.
The module specifications for these 33 modules were scrutinised and the results
tabulated (see separate Excel workbook if reading this document electronically).
These results were reviewed by both Rob Pearson and Caroline Smith and the
following findings and recommendations agreed.
General findings (see Table 1)
The 33 placement modules identified are offered by 17 departments/schools.
Clearly, some departments offer more than a single placement module whilst 2
departments (English & Drama and Social Sciences) do not offer a placement as
defined in above.
9 departments offer a Diploma in Professional Studies, 8 departments offer a
Diploma in Industrial Studies and 6 departments offer a Diploma in International
Studies.
32 out of the 33 module specifications reviewed conferred 120 credits on
successful completion whilst module CVI002 offered by Civil and Building
Engineering is weighted at 60 credits only.
7 of the 33 module specifications were not presented in the latest format:

COI001, PSI001 and TTI001 do not have the method of feedback field
identified.

BSI001, GYI003 and GYI002 do have the intended learning outcomes
presented in the current format.
Recommendation 1
Responsible Examiners for the above modules to ensure that the module
specifications conform to the latest template.
Department of Civil and Building Engineering to review credit weighting for CVI002
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*reproduced in the Appendix
Specific findings
Aims of the module (see Table 1)
The number of stated aims varied between 1 and 4. In total, 19 aims were
identified comprising 3 distinct groups:

statements describing “employability skills” eg preparation for a career,
building towards professional registration

statements describing “discipline specific knowledge” eg consolidating
language skills, expanding and developing mathematical knowledge

statements describing “personal development opportunities” eg encouraging
team work, to increase maturity and motivation.
Recommendation 2
Departments should review module specifications and ensure that the stated aims
are appropriate.
It is suggested that 3 aims are sufficient and that the generic phrases employability
skills, discipline specific skills and personal development opportunities could be
utilised in many, if not all cases to adequately describe the aims of a placement
module.
Intended Learning Outcomes – knowledge and understanding (see Table 2)
The number of stated ILOs in this category varied from 0 to 7 for an individual
module specification. In total, 28 ILOs were identified which could be arranged into
3 groups:

statements relating to “improved understanding of others” eg increased
awareness of different cultures, understanding the operation of a company,
knowledge of responsibilities of a professional

statements relating to “increased discipline specific knowledge” eg
knowledge of business/management practices, knowledge of the
importance of Chemistry within the industrial, economic, environmental and
social context, knowledge of scientific practices in an applied context
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
statements relating to “transferable skills” eg encountered and adopted new
approaches to study, knowledge of ethical issues, knowledge of teamwork,
applying concepts and developing solutions
Recommendation 3
It is suggested that 3 or 4 ILOs may be sufficient to capture the anticipated student
learning in this category and that these statements could be those which relate to
improved understanding of others and increased discipline specific knowledge.
Those ILOs which refer to “transferable skills” in particular should be scrutinised to
ensure they are appropriate within this section of the module specification.
Intended Learning Outcomes – subject specific cognitive skills (see Table 3)
The number of stated ILOs in this category varied from 0 to 3 for an individual
module specification. In total, 13 ILOs were identified which could be arranged into
2 groups:

statements relating to “development of critical thinking skills” eg identify
factors determining success of a project, demonstrate evaluative and
analytical skills and construct reasoned argument”

statements relating to “reflective skills” eg discuss issues raised by own
work, seek and make use of constructive feedback
Recommendation 4
It is suggested that 1 or 2 ILOs may be sufficient to capture the anticipated student
learning in this category and that these statements could be those which relate to
development of critical thinking skills and reflective skills development.
Intended Learning Outcomes – subject specific practical skills (see Table 4)
The number of stated ILOs in this category varied from 1 to 7 for an individual
module. In total, 22 ILOs were identified which could be arranged into 2 groups:

statements relating to “project management skills” eg manage and carry out
a project on budget/time, develop a project plan, use appropriate statistical
methods

statements relating to “discipline specific skills” eg develop competence in a
language, apply knowledge of health and safety, have a familiarity with a
range of equipment and processes
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Recommendation 5
It is suggested that 1 or 2 ILOs may be sufficient to capture the anticipated student
learning in this category and that these statements could be those which relate to
project management skills and discipline specific skills.
Intended Learning Outcomes – key/transferable skills (see Table 5)
The number of stated ILOs in this category varied from 3 to 12 for an individual
module specification. In total, 33 ILOs were identified which could be arranged into
5 groups:

statements relating to “time management skills” eg plan and organise own
workload, develop a personal plan of work to meet deadlines

statements relating to “communication skills” eg communicate effectively
orally and in writing, improve foreign language skills, display confident
presentation skills both orally and visually

statements relating to “teamwork skills” eg work independently and in
collaboration with others, work effectively as part of a team

statements relating to “personal skills development” eg exhibit openness to
new ideas, display a positive attitude to change, showing initiative

statements relating to “study skills” eg research a topic and write it up, write
a reflective account
Recommendation 5
It is suggested that 3 or 4 ILOs may be sufficient to capture the anticipated student
learning in this category and that these statements could be those which relate to
time management skills, communication skills and teamwork skills.
Those ILOs which refer to “personal skills development” in particular should be
scrutinised to ensure they are capable of being assessed within the module.
Those ILOs which refer to “study skills” in particular should be scrutinised to
ensure they are indeed ILOs rather than statements referring to the assessment
task.
Module content (see Table 6)
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Module specifications included a variety of informative statements regarding the
content of the module. In total 40 statements were identified which could be
arranged in to 7 groups:

statements identifying the length of the placement – 11 variants noted

statements describing who is involved in determining the duties performed
by the student during the placement - 8 variants noted

statements describing the activities encountered during the placement – 5
variants noted

statements referring to the support available to the student during the
placement – 3 variants

statements detailing the visits made by University staff – 6 variants

statements referring to the assessment of the placement – 4 variants noted

other, varied statements – 3 variants noted
Recommendation 6
It is suggested that departments make use of Regulation XI which offers a
standardised statement covering both the length of the placement and who is
involved in determining the overall nature of the placement.
Departments may wish to include additional statements referring to:



specific activities encountered during the placement
ongoing support available to the student (and placement supervisor) during
the placement via email
visits made by academic staff
Statements which describe assessment within the module should be scrutinised to
ensure they are appropriate within this section of the module specification.
Assessment (see Table 7)
The assessment tasks used fall into the following four general categories:




Interim progress reports
A report / dissertation (typically reflecting on skills gained in the placement)
A presentation, poster or portfolio on the placement
Completion of study at host institution or completion of work contract (study
abroad and work placement respectively)
All modules use a combination of two or more of these categories, and there is
noticeable variation in the intensity of the assessment. For example, the smallest
reports are 2,000 words, whilst the largest are 10,000 to 15,000 words. Variation
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also exists in the assessment method ie written report, poster presentation and
portfolio submission are all used to gauge student achievement.
From the module specification alone, there is insufficient evidence to show the
detail and level of work required to successfully complete the assessment. It must
therefore be assumed that the normal assessment criteria of the
department/school are applied to each of the assessment tasks.
Recommendation 7
It is suggested that the University should consider increasing the uniformity of
assessment within placement modules. It is suggested that the typical
assessment should consist of:




Interim progress reports
A final 5,000 word report reflecting on skills gained in the placement
A final presentation reflecting on the skills gained in the placement (oral /
poster / portfolio etc).
Completion of study at host institution or completion of work contract (study
abroad and work placement respectively)
Conclusion
This report highlights a number of recommendations which, if addressed
appropriately, should ensure greater consistency in the ‘academic’ aspects of
placement provision.
Taken together, these recommendations create the following framework for
placement learning module specifications. It is recommended that this framework
should become the template for all existing and future module specifications. This
will ensure that there are minimum expectations of the skills that can be gained
from a placement opportunity and that assessment is consistent across
departments/schools.
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Suggested framework for placement module specifications
1. Aims of the module
The aims should typically incorporate statements from the following 3 groups:



statements describing “employability skills” eg preparation for a career,
building towards professional registration
statements describing “discipline specific knowledge” eg consolidating
language skills, expanding and developing mathematical knowledge
statements describing “personal development opportunities” eg encouraging
team work, to increase maturity and motivation.
2. Intended Learning Outcomes
Typically, ILOs should be drawn from the following statements:
1. knowledge and understanding
 statements relating to “improved understanding of others” eg
understanding the operation of a company, knowledge of responsibilities
of a professional
 statements relating to “increased discipline specific knowledge” eg
knowledge of business/management practices, knowledge of the
importance of Chemistry within the industrial, economic, environmental
and social context, knowledge of scientific practices in an applied
context
 statements relating to “transferable skills” eg encountered and adopted
new approaches to study, knowledge of ethical issues, knowledge of
teamwork, applying concepts and developing solutions
2. subject specific cognitive skills
 statements relating to “development of critical thinking skills” eg identify
factors determining success of a project, demonstrate evaluative and
analytical skills and construct reasoned argument”
 statements relating to “reflective skills” eg discuss issues raised by own
work, seek and make use of constructive feedback
3. subject specific practical skills
 statements relating to “project management skills” eg manage and carry
out a project on budget/time, develop a project plan, use appropriate
statistical methods
 statements relating to “discipline specific skills” eg develop competence
in a language, apply knowledge of health and safety, have a familiarity
with a range of equipment and processes
4. key/transferable skills
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




statements relating to “time management skills” eg plan and organise
own workload, develop a personal plan of work to meet deadlines
statements relating to “communication skills” eg communicate effectively
orally and in writing, improve foreign language skills, display confident
presentation skills both orally and visually
statements relating to “teamwork skills” eg work independently and in
collaboration with others, work effectively as part of a team
statements relating to “personal skills development” eg exhibit openness
to new ideas, display a positive attitude to change, showing initiative
statements relating to “study skills” eg research a topic and write it up,
write a reflective account
3. Module content
This should typically include statements referring to:



specific activities encountered during the placement
ongoing support available to the student (and placement supervisor) during
the placement via email
visits made by academic staff
4. Assessment
Assessment tasks should typically consist of:




Interim progress reports
A final 5,000 word report reflecting on skills gained in the placement
A final presentation reflecting on the skills gained in the placement (oral /
poster / portfolio etc).
Completion of study at host institution or completion of work contract (study
abroad and work placement respectively)
Thought should be given to the assessment method selected ie students may be
asked to write reports, reflective accounts, present findings orally or any
combination of these.
Associated assessment criteria should be available to staff and students –
although it is recognised that such guidance may not form part of the module
specification and may be located, for example, on Learn or within a
departmental/school handbook.
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Appendix
Regulation XI - Diplomas in Industrial Studies, Professional Studies and
International Studies (remade March 2010 - effective from 1 August 2010)
1. In this Regulation "Department" shall be taken to mean a Department of the University responsible for a
programme of which professional training or international experience forms a part.
2. The Diploma in Industrial Studies, Diploma in Professional Studies, or Diploma in International Studies
shall only be awarded in those sandwich or other programmes which have been designated by Senate
as programmes in which these awards may be made.
3.1 A Diploma may be awarded to persons who, in the course of having qualified for the Degree of Bachelor,
or Master of Engineering, Master of Mathematics, Master of Physics, Master of Chemistry or Master of
Computer Science, in designated programmes of the University, shall also have completed professional
training or international experience in accordance with the following conditions.
3.2 The professional training or international experience shall take place in locations and organisations
which are acceptable to the Department. It may be split between up to three different loactions and
organisations.
3.3 Experience leading to the Diploma in International Studies may be divided between study in an
educational organisation and no more than two industrial /professional work placements.
3.4 The professional training or international experience shall be of at least 45 weeks' duration in total,
exclusive of industrial holidays, except
(i) where it takes place wholly in one or more educational organisations, when it shall coincide with the
length of the academic year or
(ii) where it is split between study in an educational organisation and either one or two
industrial/professional work placements, when it shall comprise at least one semester's study in the
educational organisation and either one or two placements of a total of at least 25 weeks in an industry
setting
(iii) where the student receiving professional training or international experience is unable to complete 45
weeks of attendance due to circumstances beyond their control, in which case they shall be referred to
the procedure set out in paragraph 3.5.
3.5 Where a student’s placement is cut short due to circumstances beyond their control, the onus should be
on the student to seek a further supplementary placement (with the support of their department and the
Careers Centre) wherever possible. If the student is unable to secure a further placement in order to
complete 45 weeks of professional training or international experience then
(i) a period of 40 weeks or more shall be accepted without any extra work being required
(ii) a minimum of 25 weeks shall normally be required to remain eligible for the Diploma award but for
periods of 25-39 weeks, additional work agreed between the student’s department and the relevant
AD(T) may substitute professional training or international experience
(iii) if a student is put on a shorter working week, due to the financial situation of their professional
training organisation or international experience location, the total placement contribution shall be
calculated pro rata to determine what, if any, additional work is required in line with (i) and (ii) based on
the assumption that a normal working week is 35 hours in duration
Any student, having embarked on professional training or international experience, who is unable
(because of circumstances beyond their control) to complete a minimum of 25 weeks of placement
experience and, as a consequence, is unable to qualify for the Diploma award, shall have their fee for
the placement year waived in full.
3.6 The professional training or international experience shall be completed before the end of the academic
programme.
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3.7 The nature of the professional training or international experience shall be determined by the
Department in collaboration with the organisation within which it takes place.
3.8 Each student receiving professional training or international experience shall be supervised by:
a) a tutor who shall be a member of the Academic Staff of the Department responsible for his/her
programme
b) an External Tutor who shall be a member of the professional staff of the organisation in which
professional training or international experience is being delivered, who shall be appointed with the
agreement of the Department.
4.1 In cases whether the professional training or international experience takes place in a single location,
the assessment of a student's performance shall derive from the following:
(a) an assessment by the External Tutor in co-operation with the Departmental Tutor of the student's
professional training or international experience
(b) in the case of the Diploma in Industrial Studies or the Diploma in Professional Studies a dissertation
of about 5,000 words, or such other length as may be determined by the Department, or, in the case of
the Diploma in International Studies, a project report. The dissertation or project report will be written by
the student on a subject or subjects to be given by the Departmental Tutor in consultation with the
External Tutor. It will be assessed by the Departmental Tutor in collaboration with the External Tutor and
be subject to scrutiny by an External Examiner appointed by the University. Students whose professional
training or international experience takes place in a non-English speaking environment designed to
improve their foreign language proficiency may be required by the Department to submit their
dissertation or project report in a language other than English
(c) a progress assessment which will be a report or reports by the student on his/her period of
professional or international experience, assessed by the External Tutor and/or his/her Departmental
Tutor in collaboration.
(d) such other exercises as may be decided by the relevant Faculty Board to be appropriate to the
professional training or international experience in a designated programme of study.
4.2 In cases where the professional training or international experience is split between different locations or
organisations, the assessment of a student's performance shall derive from such combination of
exercises as may be decided by the student's department and the Faculty Board with reference to 4.1
above to be appropriate to the training and/or experience undertaken and to provide an assessment of
the student's performance comparable to that available for students based in a single location or
organisation; this shall include cases falling under 3.5(ii) or 3.5(iii) above.
4.3 Provided that in the case where experience leading to the Diploma in International Studies is divided
between study in an educational organisation and either one or two industrial/professional work
placements, the assessment of a student's performance shall include satisfactory completion of
approved modules with a value of at least 15 ECTS credits studied at the partner educational
organisation.
4.4 Provided also that in the case where experience leading to the Diploma in International Studies involves
a full academic year of study in a partner educational organisation, the student may be required to
undertake modules of study agreed between the student, the Departmental Tutor in Loughborough and
the External Tutor in the host institution, and complete the assessments in the modules set by the host
institution. The assessment of the student’s performance for the award of the Diploma in International
Studies shall derive from his/her performance in the modules taken, as evidenced by the host institution,
combined with one or more reports or presentations relating to the year as may be required by the
department, assessed in the same way as the reports described in 4.1(c), and subject to overall scrutiny
by an External Examiner appointed by the University.
5. (a) In order to qualify for the award of a Diploma, a student is required to receive a satisfactory
assessment in each part of his/her professional training or international experience.
(b) A student will have the opportunity of endeavouring to remedy an unsatisfactory performance in
his/her dissertation, project report, progress assessment, placement review or other exercise which
he/she has produced for assessment. His/her Departmental Tutor shall stipulate a date by which the
amended exercises shall be completed, which shall not be later than the commencement of Final
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Degree Examinations following the professional training or international experience.